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Nineteen ninety two marked the 125th anniversary of the completion of the Camden and Burlington County Railroad (C.&B.C.) from Camden (Pavonia), New Jersey to Mount Holly, New Jersey. This line had no particular claim to fame, but had a varied history and was a key link in the Pennsylvania Railroad (P.R.R.) service to the North Jersey seashore resorts from the Philadelphia area. It was also the primary access route to Camp Dix, (later Fort Dix) which was constructed in 1917. The C.&B.C. in conjunction with the Pennsylvania and Atlantic constituted the "Back Road" route from Camden and Philadelphia to Seaside Park, Bay Head Junction, and Long Branch. The more direct route was via Trenton, Monmouth Junction, and Jamesburg. From July 1, 1902 until the end of the 1938 season, summer only express trains operated from Broad Street Station via Declair Bridge and the connection with the C.&B.C. at Pennsauken.

Construction dates and 1992 status of the Camden and Burlington County Railway.

Several segments of the latter day C.&B.C. predate the construction of its mainline. Following completion of New Jersey's first railroad, The Camden and Amboy (C.&A.) in 1834 interest developed to access the interior of Burlington County. Mount Holly, the county seat, seven miles east of the C.&A. mainline was an obvious choice. The Burlington and Mount Holly Railroad and Transportation Company was incorporated February 11, 1848 to construct this line. The original station was located on Grant Street near the current County Court Complex. In 1863, the line was extended from Mount Holly to Pemberton. The name of the original railroad was changed by incorporation to the Burlington County Railroad Company on July 4, 1863.

Camden (Pavonia), New Jersey circa 1908. CB Tower and Pavonia station with 27th Street bridge overhead. The track on the near side of the platform is the main line of the C&BC.

What later became the mainline of the C.&B.C. was incorporated as the Camden, Moorestown, Hainsport, and Mount Holly Horse Car Railroad Company on March 16, 1859. This company was to construct the 16.25 mile line from Camden (Pavonia) to a connection with the Burlington-Mount Holly Branch east of the present station on Madison Avenue. Before the line was completed and placed in service on October 21, 1867, it was consolidated with the Burlington County Railroad Company to become the Camden and Burlington County Railroad company by incorporation on May 2, 1866. The final segment of the C.&B.C. was constructed in 1869 by the Mount Holly, Lumberton, and Medford Railroad Company incorporated April 2, 1866. This branch was 5.98 miles in length. The C.&B.C. was further consolidated on October 4, 1915 when the C.&.B.C., the Vincentown Branch of the Burlington Railroad Company, and the Mount Holly, Lumberton, and Medford Railroad Company merged to become the Camden and Burlington County Railway (C.&B.C. for our sake). Total mileage of main and branch tracks excluding sidings was 38.6 miles.

K4s #5351 at Camden, New Jersey, November 12, 1957 after pulling the very last steam powered passenger train on the P.R.R., a Pemberton-Camden local.

This total was first reduced in 1925 when the Burlington Branch, the oldest of the C.&.B.C., was abandoned. Two years later the Vincentown Branch was abandoned. All but one mile of the Medford Branch was abandoned in 1976 after the formation of Conrail with the last mile removed in 1981. Part of the main line from Camden to MP 5 at Cove Road in Pennsauken was abandoned about 1982. The most recent abandonment occurred in the Spring of 1984 when 6.5 miles from Madison Avenue in Mount Holly to Pemberton was removed with the track from Pemberton to Fort Dix abandoned simultaneously. From Cove Road in Pennsauken to Madison Avenue in Mount Holly is all that remains of the entire C.&.B.C. and is the segment that celebrated 125 years of service in 1993.

E6s #460 at Maple Shade, New Jersey, December 13, 1952 Camden-Pemberton local with P70 and PB70 in tow.

During the first four years of existence the C.&B.C. was under P.R.R. influence, but operated more or less independently. In 1871 it became part of the PRR Amboy division until 1912 when the Amboy Division was abolished and the C.&B.C. became part of the Trenton Division. Reorganization continued until 1955 when the C.&B.C. was placed in the P.R.R.'s Atlantic District of the Philadelphia Region. In the 1964 the regions were replaced by divisions with the C.&B.C. becoming part of the Philadelphia Division. Today, the remnant of the C.&B.C. is part of Conrail's Philadelphia Division.

Moorestown, New Jersey circa 1905 looking toward Camden of the station at Chester Avenue.

The main track was originally 60 to 80 pound rail on cinder ballast that was periodically upgraded. By the end of World War II much of the rail was replaced with 130 pound rail. Late in 1984 Conrail did a major track upgrade because of a number of derailments between MP 16 and 17. Thousands of ties and rails were replaced with nearly every grade crossing rebuilt. Stone ballast was dumped along the entire line. Maximum allowable speed was 60 miles per hour (mph) for passenger and 45 mph for freight trains until 1946. Passenger train speed was reduced to 45 mph while freight train speed remained at 45 mph until it was reduced to 30 mph in the late 1950's. Following the end of passenger service on April 25, 1969, track maintenance was minimal and numerous speed restrictions were in effect. Although the track was upgraded in 1984, the allowable speed is 15 mph at the present time.

Birmingham, New Jersey, September 17, 1953 recieving orders on the steps of N6b #980558. for movement to Toms River, New Jersey.

In June of 1869, five local round trip passenger trains operated between Camden and Pemberton with an average travel time of one hour and twenty minutes. By 1896, six trains operated in either direction on the C.&.B.C. and by the mid 1920's service peaked at 20 trains in each direction. During the summer months, excursions operated to the seashore points including a through train from Camden to Beach Haven.

Pemberton, New Jersey, June 28, 1953.

Passenger traffic began to increase in 1939 with the preparations for war and the passage of the Selective Service Act. Fort Dix was to be a major induction and training center. The number of troop trains reached its peak between 1942 and 1945 although there was a modest resurgence of activity during the Korean conflict. During World War II, the trains varied in length from 8 to 15 coach cars with E6s, G5s, or K4s locomotives as heading the trains.

Vincentown, New Jersey, circa 1900-1910.

The development of the New Jersey State Highway system in the mid 1920's and opening of the Delaware River Bridge (Ben Franklin Bridge) in 1926 started the downward spiral of service. By 1941 service had been reduced to five round trips, three to Pemberton and two to Point Pleasant. This frequency remained through World War II. Sunday and holiday service ended in June 1952. Several schedule changes were tried eventually using two P70 coaches in a push-pull train until April 25, 1969 when passenger service was discontinued.

Freight operations have been varied throughout the history of the C.&.B.C. as all the companies above were constructed for the purpose of passenger transportation. Most of the freight consisted of both freight car load and less than car load lots (LCL) with agricultural traffic the major source of freight traffic. Additional inbound traffic included coal, cement, lumber, fertilizer, chemicals, oil, steel, and meat while outbound freight included milk, sand, marl, bricks, and miscellaneous goods. Trucks had siphoned away much of that traffic by the 1930's. Today lumber accounts for the majority of all traffic.

During the C.&B.C's steam era motive power was typical of smaller class P.R.R. locomotives including D13's and D16sb's until 1934. Atlantic classes E2's, E3's, E5's, and E6's were also abundant in passenger service. Class G5s ran in freight of passenger service on the line from their construction in 1924 until they were retired in 1955. The famous K4s ran infrequently until World War II when they headed the majority of troop extras. Once steam was retired almost any type or make of diesel ran in freight or passenger service including troop trains although few first generation diesels ever operated on the C.&B.C.

The narrative and photos were taken from a two part article entitled "The Camden and Burlington County Railway Company, The 125th Anniversary" by Frank C. Kozempel, The High Line, Spring/ Summer 1993 (Volume 13) and Autumn/Winter 1993/1994 (Volume 14), The Pennsylvania Railroad Technical and Historical Society, The Philadelphia Chapter, Plainsboro, New Jersey.

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Last modified: November 23 2007.

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